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Friday, 13 July 2012

Keepin' the Faith

This fascinating graphic appeared on James McGrath's blog.  The stats are just for the US, but I'm assuming there'd be some correlation for those of us in other parts of the planet.


I suspect COG retention rates would flatter the atheist 30%.  How many coglings flee the nest before they turn thirty?  95%?  99.5%?
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4 comments:

  1. Corky13 July 2012 at 09:40

    Atheist is not a faith. Atheist means "not theist".

    Unbelief does not mean belief - if it did, they wouldn't be two different words.

    But, okay, if atheist is a faith, what is the creed? What are the rituals? Who is the founder? Who do you see about joining?

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  2. Byker Bob15 July 2012 at 08:29

    I didn't know how widely atheism actually was considered to be a faith. But, I've learned from what I term "WCG atheists" that there is methodology, Ayn Rand's objectivism playing a key role. There are websites atheists frequent for answers to some of the challenges which are posed to them. And, as a group, discussions seem to indicate that there is amazing homogeniety and unity in thought amongst them, especially considering the fact that this is all purportedly based on non belief. I think it's all a matter of perspective and preferences as to how some wish to be regarded. In early Christian times, the Jews and the Christians were considered by the Romans to be atheist, simply because they did not believe in the Roman gods.

    I am encouraged by the retention rate, however. I don't know whether I could be considered a statistic, since I was born Methodist, got dragged into Armstrongism by my parents, became an atheist and later an agnostic, and am now a Christian, independent of any corporate groups (still can't trust them!)

    BB

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  3. Minimalist16 July 2012 at 00:15

    BB: Pre-Abrahamic Zoroastrianism: Monotheistic, pacifist,
    much less murderous than the "Big Three"
    Check it out: www.fezana.org/
    Might be right for you?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sabio Lantz16 July 2012 at 23:04

    Of course, I think there must be dozens of things creating these stats. Making something part of a cultural identity, rather than a religious identity can aid survival. If it is just a Sunday thing and doesn't offer all the trappings of a comprehensive culture, it is easier to throw out.

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